Zuko is Going Soft
by NobodyKnowsMyPain
Summary: Zuko has been the Fire Lord for a few months now and he has gotten a little soft..what happens when he is interrupted from his very inappropriate dreams and attacked? ***WARNING SMALL SIGNS OF SLASH SUGGESTED BUT NO ACTUAL SLASH. DON'T LIKE, THEN DON'T READ***


**I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender..if I did than things would have been way different.** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I give out a small sound of surprise when I jolt awake from the dream I had just been having of Aang. Darn those dreams were happening more often than I liked. I shake my head. No time to think of those dreams now. Ah right, now what had caused me to wake up? I look around to see what has awaken me and I notice the window is open. I frown as I get up and walk towards it. I swear it was closed when I fell asleep. I shake my head again. Ah I must be forgetting things, life as the Fire Lord making me soft. Yes that is it I decide as I close the window.

I sigh as I turn around. I really needed to get into practice again. A Fire Lord should not be so unaware of things or forgetful. Hmm looks like I will be needing to send for Aang soon. He was the only one who could help me really. I walk towards my bed again and am almost in it when I hear something. I quickly turn but before I can do anything there is a flash of light and I am struck in the chest by something. I feel myself fly backwards and hit the wall and then fall to the floor. I get to my hands and knees, a small groan leaving me as I do.

"Ah the little bitty Fire Lord isn't so powerful after all, huh?" I hear somebody say in a slightly high pitched voice. I look up but I can't see anyone. I slowly stand.

"Who's there?" I call out as I get in a position, were if I were attacked again, I would be ready for it this time. Suddenly somebody steps out of what appears nowhere and starts walking towards me.

"Who's there? Who's here? I am not sure little bitty Fire Lord," says the person as they stop a few feet away from me. I growl and fight to keep myself from attacking. No I need to bid my time, find out who they were and then maybe I could attack.

"Stop saying stupid things. Who are you?" I demand. I look at the face but it is in shadow, helping hide who had just attacked me. I look at the person's body and frown when I notice they were small. Wait I had been attacked by a girl? I nearly groan. Good Lord I was never going to live this down if any of the others found out!

"Who am I? Well Fire Lord Zuko I just happen to be your worst nightmare," The girl says with a small laugh. Wait. That laugh, it sounded familiar.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" I ask as I move a little closer. Maybe if I distracted the person then I could take them by surprise with my attack.

"Not so fast!" I jump to the side when a blast of fire is sent my way. I look at the wall it hit and growl. It had hit one of my favorite paintings! "Now as to if you know me from somewhere. Well why yes. Yes you do know me from somewhere. Can you honestly not figure out who I am?" There's an odd tone to the girls voice as she says this.

I notice her take a step towards me and I take a few steps back without thinking. The girl lets out a growl and another ball of flame is sent towards me, which I quickly dodge.

"Why so afraid Fire Lord Zuko?" The girl lets out a slightly evil laugh.

"Who are you?" I ask the person. I will give them one more chance to tell me who they are and then that is when I will attack.

"If you do not know, I will not tell you but all I will tell you is I am here to..well assassinate you in a way," She say's. I see the girl move back a bit and I bring my hands up to prepare myself for whatever she sent my way.

"Oh Fire Lord Zuko so out of practice you are!" She says. I frown, feeling confused. The girl almost sounded like they were scolding me for not being able to protect myself from her.

"I am not out of practice!" I snap at her suddenly as I send a fire ball her way.

The girl quickly deflects it and sends a couple of them at me. I dodge one of them but the other one hits me in the left arm. I let out a hiss of pain but ignore it as I start the oh so joyful dance of throwing fire balls at somebody and having fire balls thrown at me. After what seems like hours but was probably only minutes the girl has me pinned onto my stomach. She had somehow gotten close to me as I was dodging a fire ball and was able to knock me onto the ground. I tense up as I wait for the final blow, the one that would most certainly kill me but after a few minutes of just lying there with the girl on top of me, nothing happens.

"Just do it already. If you're going to kill me, just get it over with!" I snap at the person on top of me. If I wasn't already so tense I would have tensed up at the chuckles that I suddenly heard from above me. That..no..it couldn't be, could it? Before I hadn't taken the time to listen to the persons voice but now..the person was no girl..the person was..

"Aang?" I ask slowly, hoping I was wrong, yet at the same time knowing I was not.

"Yep!" The person is quick to answer and then suddenly they get off me. I roll over and sit up slowly and look around but I don't see. - Suddenly the candles in the room are lit and I look over to see Aang standing in the middle of the room. I look at him feeling confused and a little hurt. Why would he attack me like this?

"Oh please don't look at me like that Zuko! I am sorry for attacking you but I had to show you that you were getting soft. A few weeks ago when I told you that you wouldn't listen to me.." Aang says suddenly as he walks towards me. I stand up quickly and he stops walking. Only a few feet separated us.

"So attacking me was the only way to show me I am going soft?" I say with a growl. I see Aang start to look a little ashamed and I almost sigh.

"I really am sorry Zuko..and yes it was the only way," He says as he steps closer to me. Now only a foot of space separated us. I let myself sigh as I shake my head.

"You fool! I already knew I was going soft. I was even thinking of contacting you about..helping me," I tell him with a small frown on my face.

"Oh really? That's good! Ah I guess me attacking you wasn't necessary than," Aang smiles up at me. I shake my head again.

"Oh course it wasn't," I say. I almost smile when I notice Aang take another step closer to me, so that we are touching now.

"Again I am sorry Zuko. Will you please forgive me?" He looks up at me with his big eyes and I cave.

"You are forgiven," I say and for some reason I felt like these words would come back to haunt me later on.

**Well I hope you enjoyed that!**


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